Submarine mine.



@.YELA ELIA. suMAmN MINE. AP'PUCAT'ION FI`LED A PR.17, 1 9'17.

Patented Aue. 21, 1.917.

lUNITED s'rarns Parana onirica IOVANN'I EMANUELE ELIA, 0F WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR `'350 VTCKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

SUBIVIARINE MINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. PatenteuLAug. 211, 191'?,

Application led April 17, 1917. Serial N0. 162,801. l

To all 'whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, 'GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, a Subj ect of the King of Italy, residing at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Submarine Mines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates tof submarine mines of the kind comprising an anchor connected to the flotation chamber or mine proper by a mooring cable which is paid out from a drum located within the anchor, during the.

separation of the fiotation chamber and anchor after the mine has been launched, means being provided for controlling the paying-out of the cable so as to regulate the depth at which the flotation chamber will be anchored beneath the surface of the water. In mines of this kind the controlling means usually comprise a plummet or sounding ball and a connecting line whose eective length is equal to the depth at which the flotation chamber is to be anchored beneath the surface of the water.

According to the invention we dispense withlthe aforesaid plummet or sounding ball and provide a float connected by a line to suitable paying out gear in the anchor, the length-of the line between the float and the paying out gear being capable of adjust ment, to determine the depth at which the iiotation chamber will be eventually anchored beneath the surface of the water; the paying out of the said line from its paying out gear commencing when the mine has sunk to a depth depending on the adjusted length of the portion ofthe float line between the float `and thevpaying out gear. The paying out of the said float line is effected by the pull ofthe float and causes translational movement to be imparted to a member serving as a stop for the paying out gear of the anchor cable, thus liberating the anchor cable and permitting it to pay out as the iiotation chamber rises and at the same time causing it to impart'translational movement to another member forming part of the paying out gear of the anchor cable. The translational movement of the stop member ceases when the float reaches the surface ofthe water, the anchor cable continuing'to pay out until the other memberabove mentioned comes against the stop member whereupon the paying o ut of the anchor cable ceases and the flotatlon cham'- ber remains anchored at the required depth beneath the surface of the water. The said members may be constituted by the-drum on which the anchor cable is .wound, and a drum on which the float line is wound, said drum forming part of the paying out gear for the iioat line.

=In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will now be described more" fully with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which 'Figures 1, 2, 3, and4 i are diagrammatic views of one constructional form of the improved mine showing it in various positions which it assumes after being launched and finally anchored, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views of two modified forms of the mine. 1

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3; 1 is the flotation chamber, 2 is vthe float, and 3 is thel anchor. 4 is the float line which is wound around the drum 5, and 6 is the anchor or mooring cable which is wound around the drum 7. The drums 5 and 7 are rotatably mounted upon a fixed screw threaded shaft 8. Prior to the launching of the mine the float is separated fromthe drum 5 (as shown in Fig. 2) by a length 7L of the float line 4f, which corresponds to the depth at which the flotation chamber is t0 be anchored beneath the surface of the water, the drums 5 and 7 at this time lying in contact with each other as shown in Fig. l. The drum' 5 is free to rotate and the drum 7 is locked against rotation so that as the anchor 3 descends, the paying out of the float line 4 by the pull due to the buoyancy of the oat 2 will cause the drum 5 to revolve and at the same time move axially along the shaft 8 into the position shown in Fig. 3. When the anchor reaches the sea bed, a pivoted locking lever 10 is moved about its fulcrum 11 and its extremity 12 disengaged from the toothed wheel 13 rwhich constitutes one of the end walls 0f the drum 7 while its other extremity 14 is simultaneously brought into engagement with the toothed wheel 15 which forms one of the end walls of the drum 5, thereby locking the latter against further rotation. The anchor cable drum 7 being now released the flotation chamber 2 will ascend by its buoyancy, rotating the drum 7 as the anchor cable unwinds and causing it to travel axially along the shaft 8 until it comes into contact with the drum 5 which thus serves as a stop-to arrest further movement of the drum 7. Any suitable or well known device such as a hydraulic brake may be provided for retarding the paying out movement of the drum 7. Assuming the distance a: (Fig. 3) to represent the depth of the sea, the distance x*k (Fig. 4) Will represent the `final position at which the flotation chamber comes to rest, 71, being the length of the portion of the float line measured from the center of the flotation chamber and the float 2.

In the modied arrangement shown 'at Fig. 5, the drums 5 and 7 instead of being mounted on a single shaftF lcommon to .bpth

are carried upon independent screw threads-r ed shafts 16 and 17 respectively. The pitch of the screw threads on one of the said shafts may be different from that of the other shaft in which event the float line drum 5 can be made of smaller diameter than the anchor cable drum 7 as shown. The operation of this arrangement is substantially the same as that described above with `the exception that separate locking and releasing devices 18 and 19 are shown for controlling the float line drum 5 and the anchor cable drum 7 respectivel a Instead of the abutment o one drum against the other serving to limit the paying ont movement of the anchor cable, other arrangements may be employed for this purpose. 'For example and as shown at Fig. 6,

. the float line drum 5 may be rigidly connected to a rotatably mounted screw threaded shaft 20 which carries a nut 21 prevented from rotating by engaging with a rod 22 and capable of aXlal movement thereon. The anchor cable drum 7 is also rigidly conneeted to a rotatably mounted screw threaded shaft, 23 which carries a nut 2li/also engaging with a rod 25 so as to be capable of axial movement only. Any convenient construction of locking and releasing devices, such for example as shown in Fig. 5, may be provided for locking and releasing the float line drum and the anchor cable drum. The nuts 21 and 24 are so situated in relation to one another that the nut 24 appertaining to the anchor cable drum will, at the predetermined time, abut against the other nut 21 to limit the paying out of the anchor cable. In a somewhat modified arrangement the nut 24 and rod 25 may be dispensed with and the anchor cable drum 7 may be rotatably mounted on a xed screw threaded shaft so that the drum 7 will itself abut against the nut 21 appertaining to the? float line drum, to

limit the paying out of the anchor cable.

, It is to be understood' that the invention is not limited to any of tliey hereinbefore described constructions for 'carrying out the Vinvention as any other construction will be suitable so long as it embodies the employment of two displaceable members one controlled by the paying out movement of lthe anchor cable and the other by the aying out movement of the float line, the sai mem- 'bers lying initially in contact with one another and becoming separated after the mine has sunk to a depth depending on the adjusted length of the float line and eventually coming together again when the flotation chamber rises from the anchor and assumes the proper distance beneath the surface of the water determined by the aforesaid adjusted length of the float line.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A submarine mine comprising the combination of an anchor adapted t0 sink when released in the sea, a buoyant chamber con- K `nected thereto and held in fixed relation to the anchor while the latter sinks, means for releasing the chamber from the anchor automatically when the anchor comes to rest to allow the chamber to rise, and means for automatically arresting the upward movement of the chamber when it has reached a predetermined distance below the surface of the sea comprisin a member mounted on the anchor and a oat connected to said member and adapted to position the member upon the anchor as the anchor sinks.

2. A submarine mine comprising an anchor, a flotation chamber, paying-out gear for said flotation chamber, a mooring cable connecting said flotation chamber to said paymg-out gear, a float, paying-out gear for said float, a line connecting said float to said float paying-out gear, said float being separated prior to launching of the mine from said float paying-out gear by a length 4of line corresponding approximately to the depth at which the flotation chamber is to be anchored beneath the surface of the water, a member serving as a stop, said member being displaced during the sinking of the anchor by the paying outcof the float line, another member which is ydisplaced by the paying out of said mooring cable, said last for said flotation chamber, a mooring cable connecting said flotation chamber to said paying-out gear, a float, paying-out gear for said float, a line connecting said float to said float paying-out gear, said float being separated prior to launching of the mine from said float paying-out gear by a length of line corresponding approximately to the depth at which the flotation chamber is to be anchored beneath the surface of the water,

a member serving as a stop, said member y Abeing displaced naar the ofaie l separated from the anchor and has reached a predetermined depth beneath the surface of the water.

4, A submarine mine comprising an anchor a dotation chamber, a mooring cable, a member which vis displaced by the paying out` said inoringcable during the separation of the notation chamber from the anchor, a neat, aicat line, amember which ine during the separation of the Boat, from the anchor, the said members lying initially' 1n contact with one another and, becoming .is displaced the-paying outA of said neat separated after the mine has sunk to a depth depending inthe adjusted length of the float line which initially separatesthe float from the anchorA and eventually coming togather again when the flotation chamber rises from the anchor and assumes a distance beneath the surface ofthe Water determined' the aforesaid adjusted'length of the float 5, A submarine mine comprising an anchor, a `flotatic'm chamber, a mooring cable, a winch drum carryin said mooring cable which is displaced by t e paying out of said mooring cable during the separation ofthe flotation chamber from the anchor, a float, a float line, a winch drum carrying said float 4line which is displaced by the paying out of said float line during the separation of the oat from the anchor, the said winch drums lying initially in contact with one another and becoming separated after the mine has been sunk to a depth depending on the adjusting length of the iioat line which initially separates thefloat line from the float line winch drum and eventually coming together again when the flotation cham-` ber rises from the anchor and assumes a distance -beneaththe surface of the Water determined by the aforesaid adjusted length of the flo-at line. I

6. A 4submarine mine comprising an anchor, a. flotation chamber, a mooring cable, a non-rotatable screw threaded shaft in said anchor, an ,internally screw threaded and axially displaceable winch drum carrying said mooring cable and rotatably` mounted upon said screw threaded shaft, a float, av

ioat line, an internally screw threaded and axially displaceable winch drum carrying said Afioat line which is also rotatably mo'i'rrted upon said screw threaded shaft, the

` said winch? dra-ms lying initially in contact` with one another and becoming separated after the line has sunk? to a de th depending on the adjusted length of the oat line which initially separates the float line from the iioat line winch drum and eventually coming together again when the dotation chamher rises from the anchor and assumes a distance `beneath the surface of the' water determined' bythe aforesaid adjusted length of the float lie.

7'. A submarine mine comprising an anchor, a flotation chamber, 'afmooring cable a non-rotatable screw threaded shaftin sai anchor, an internally screw threaded and axially displaceable winch drum carrying said mooring cable and rotatably mounte upon said screw threaded shaft, means for preventing rotation of said winch drum until the anchor approaches or reaches the'sea bed, a float, a fioat line, an internally Screw threaded and axially displaceable winch.

drum. carrying .said float line, means'for locking said fioat line drum against rotation when thev anchor approaches or reaches the sea bed, said Winch drums lying initially in contact with one anotherlld becoming separated after the mine has sun'kto a depth depending on the adjusted lengtmof the-Hoat line which initially separates the blaat from 'the-float line winch drum and eventually coming together When the flotation chamber is released and rises from the anchor to a distance beneath the surface of the water determined by the aforesaid adjusted length of thev iioat line.

8. A submarine mine comprising thecombination of an anchor, a buoyant chamber,

paying-out gear mounted on the anchor and connected to the buoyant chamber, means for automatically arresting the said payingout gear controlled by the depth to whlch the mine sinks, and means f or automatically locking said arresting means. 4

l 9. A submarine mine comprising the combination of an anchor aI buoyant chamber ,connected thereto and held in fixed relation to the anchor While the latter sinks, means for releasing said chamber automatically when the anchor comes to rest to allow the chamber to rise, and means for-"automatically'arresting the upward movement of the chamber comprising a member mounted on the anchor and-a float connected to the'member for operating the'member as theanchlor sinks an amount commensurate with the depth to which the anchor sinks.

GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA. 

